13.2.10

this many is too many

I will admit that the word "iconic" has been horribly overused since Superman Returns, but in terms of exotic sportscars and teenage lust, very little compares to Lamborghini's iconic Countach. The Countach is an icon in the same sense that the venerated images of the saints are, mounted on walls by true believers, and looked to for hope and inspiration.

This post, however, is not about the Countach. It's about that car's corporate grandson - the Murcielago.

The Murcielago brings to mind a particular saying that I heard in some cartoon or movie years ago. The source never stuck with me, but the message did, which is to say: everything valuable is rare, but not everything rare is valuable.

Which brings me to today's announcement from Lamborghini (via Autoblog).

Italian Super sportscar manufacturer Automobili Lamborghini proudly celebrates a historic event: an LP 670-4 SuperVeloce version of its current flagship V12 Murciélago, carrying series number 4,000, has just left Lamborghini's factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, destined for a Chinese buyer.

In a few short months, the current batch of Lamborghinis will be more common than Fox-bodied Mustang Cobras, 4th-gen SS Camaros, and Buick GNXs. We are living in a world where late-model Lambos probably outnumber street-worthy US Lancias and Alfas by a wide margin, and yet ...

... I don't know, exactly, but that charging bull on the hood just doesn't seem so special anymore.

Congratulations, then, to Lamborghini, for making our icons a little more ordinary.